


The First Thing You Said

by Parahelion



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 18:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15802035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parahelion/pseuds/Parahelion
Summary: Asra's in for a surprise everyday with the apprentice by his side. But that day's surprise... for the first time in a few months, it made Asra's composure crack.





	The First Thing You Said

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: All of The Arcana: A Mystic Romance and its characters belong solely to Nix Hydra :)
> 
> Heya peeps! It's been a long time and my writing's gone rusty. Lifey is demanding and a few moments with my mistress (writing) is a fleeting luxury T^T
> 
> Like, right now I'm doing this instead of studying for my practicals... gah. After this, I'll study for sure wuhuhu don't wanna fail!
> 
> Procrastination at its finest XD
> 
> So yeah, I'm in this fandom for now and I hope you'll like the fic below.

Magic feels different today.  Asra could feel it from the refreshing winds that blew outside, even up to the way sunlight tenderly fell on juvenile leaves.  It wasn’t offensively strong. It just gives the type of sensation that leaves the chest feeling light and your awareness clear.  Not sure what to make of it, Asra carefully got the deck out and drew a card. The Star seemed to glide into the palm of his hand.

 

_~ Hope ~_

 

The weary magician smiled softly.  

For the first time in a dreary while, things have indeed been looking up.  People stopped dying by the thousands from a plague with an otherworldly cause.  A person he loathed most is gone while the person he loved most is thriving.

Said person is currently perched by the window, basking in the sun with their eyes closed and a slight curl at the edge of their lips, while Faust comfortably draped across their shoulders.

Wearing a peaceful expression as the sunlight gently reflected from their hair, Asra could feel himself falling in love all over again; feeling the same way he did at the very start when they really met for the first time.

Asra briefly remembered about the days when he pondered about the ramifications of living with a part of his heart missing. He thought he’d lose a part of himself forever or become completely unable to feel emotions, but the warm ticklish feelings in his chest as his eyes drunk in his very much alive loved one’s form at the moment acutely contrasted against his worries as if they were lies.

 

Truly the apple of his eye.

 

Though Asra’s feelings right then were genuinely warm and sincere, he’d be lying if he said those emotions weren’t tainted. Before his most important person came back to life, Asra has always thought it’d be enough to just have them by his side again... Even when they didn’t remember him anymore, he still wants to laugh with them and spend the days together... To learn new things with them in the middle of adventures... Just to keep each other company even when they might end up loving someone else.

 

_Maybe it’s just human nature..._

 

Asra’s keenly aware of his greed. Now that they’re in front of him, he misses that distinct gleam of affection in their eyes when their gaze falls on him. He misses the lingering touches... _more_.

Waking up to their lips on his cheeks in the morning.

 

_More._

 

Being embraced by them of their own accord.

 

_More... More._

 

When the two of them first met, Asra’s been face to face with The World. And that person indeed became his world. Brave and sure, wise with a child’s spirit, strong of heart and whose kindness knows no bounds. With those traits at their disposal, why would the universe not favor them and be on its toes conspiring to have things go their way?

Now, the person in front of him is a blank slate. Innocent... but naive. Reckless... perhaps because of the things they don’t know or rather, they’ve forgotten.

Of course Asra was happy when they first opened their eyes. He was happy to be able to touch flesh in place of sticky ashen sand that slipped through his fingers. But with joy comes sadness and his ruthless fears soon followed.

What really is this he has revived from the dead? Their superficies is that of the person Asra loves but are they really the same person? Appearances can be deceiving. What if he’s only succeeded in animating a lifeless doll? Asra has longed and grieved for so long. Would he still be able to discern a dream from what wasn’t?

But a few days, weeks, months more of them being alive and Asra discovered little by little, every time, that this person has preferences for the same likes and crumples their face at the same dislikes. They exhibit the same odd habits and interests; the same mannerisms and other idiosyncrasies.

Asra has never even told them any of these, even at the first time Asra let himself get the better of him and told them everything; making them remember everything at the expense of inadvertently making them unravel. Finding out all of these from them never failed to astonish Asra each time. Though melancholic, the magician has found great comfort in the truth that somehow, there’s an intrinsic part of them that could never be erased. Though progress may be at a turtle’s pace and it’s hard to wait, Asra’s willing to do just that now— to wait.

He has waited so long to see the person he loves stand in front of him again. It wouldn’t hurt (not so much, at least) for him to wait another while for them to be human on their own again.

Though what Asra misses most right now is the lilt of their voice when they’re talking to him.

Especially since they’ve yet to know how to speak.

Strangely, Faust can talk to them in their mind the same way that Asra and Faust converse with each other. This has helped Asra greatly when acommodating his loved one’s needs, since they still have a hard time expressing their self.

Now Faust and them are mumbling unintelligibly to each other.

With a satisfied sigh, Asra arranged the goods he has procured from the market and the forest on the counter, swearing to himself that he’d put them to their proper places later. Quite eagerly, though he wanted to put brakes on his excitement but failed, he walked in large strides to that person’s side. Asra tenderly called their name to alert them of his presence since they become jumpy when disturbed from their daydreaming, before he gently combed his fingers through their hair.

Resting eyes slowly opened and crinkled with delight at the sight of him.

Immeasurable relief guggled in Asra’s chest every day when he sees their eyes’ sclerae a healthy white with no signs of the plague.

Meanwhile, Asra never saw Faust’s ruby sparkly eyes flash with mischief as she hastily slithered through his clothes to hide in his collar, giving his arm a soft squeeze along the way before finally resting to relish in the warmth of his nape.

Getting more curious at the moment, Asra couldn’t help asking what the two of them had been doing earlier.

From Asra’s collar, Faust bobbed her head slightly and met their eyes for further encouragement.

Eyes that absorb now gazed at Asra’s own wisteria irises unwaveringly.

Their lips pursed and soundlessly parted. Closed once more and then,

 

“aAh...”

 

Asra’s hand on their head dropped in shock. Eyes wide and mouth slowly hanging ajar, if they didn’t already have his full attention before, they have all of it undivided now.

“Hahh... Ss... A-Ahs... raah?”

A choked sound left the magician. Whether it was one of joy or one of hurt, he himself isn’t really in tune with what he’s feeling right now.

They repeated the syllables some more, out loud now, and gained more confidence as they articulated the name less breathily. His shoulder blades began to feel weirdly stiff, losing strength as his arms began to tremble by his sides.

“Ahsra?”

He hesitantly raised his hands again and shakily touched that person’s face, cupping their face in his hands but not quite letting the weight of his palms rest on their cheeks. They’re so fragile right now. So delicate; so breakable. He was afraid of what would happen if he allowed himself anymore than this.

But then his beloved held his hands and more firmly pressed his palms on their cheeks, heartily laughed before calling his name again, and looked at him with those orbs that seemed to question what he has been doing; what kind of expression he was wearing on his countenance right now.

 

“Asra!”

 

His vision blurred.

 

“Asra!”

 

He was smiling and breathlessly laughing now too. But it hurt.

 

“Asra...”

 

He closed his eyes for a moment and tears fell through his cloud white lashes.

 

“Asra?”

 

Hands that held his slightly tightened and concern laced the voice that called out his name now.

 

“...Asra...”

 

Once more and the floodgates to his heart opened. He all but flung himself to them and hugged them tight, rested their head on his chest against his thrashing heart, and very covertly pressed his lips on their head as he savored the scent of their hair. Asra laughed as they began to slowly rock. Both use the same oils and herbs to bathe but this precious person always seemed to smell better anyway.

Asra kept telling himself, ‘No more than this,’ and he will stand by his words for certes, but he also pled to the powers that be; to the fates that let this play out now,

 

_Let me hold this person for a little while longer_

 

_Just a little more_

 

_Maybe a bit more_

 

He knew he missed them so much. He yearned and suffered for this everyday.

 

**Everyday**

 

But he didn’t know just how much. It was actually this way. And more.

 

Asra **was** happy. But he hid his face in the crook of their neck as more incomprehensible tears flowed.

With soft caresses to his back, his name sounded like an echoed consolation now. With that, he was able to calm down.

As he pulled away first from the hug they shared, that cherished person’s palms above his moved away to rest on the sides of his face as well and wiped the tears from his eyes.

 

“Asra?”

 

They called out again, worry and concern more evident in their voice each time. The magician soothingly rested his forehead against the other’s.

 

“Yes?” He answered breathlessly, exhilaration quite haven’t worn off yet, “Anything?”

 

The treasured person just smiled. Brighter than ever before now that they know Asra’s all right.

Asra returned the smile just as happily, if not more relieved.

The person in front of him may be a blank slate now— innocent, quite foolish sometimes, really— but Asra also knows and believes now,

 

_They are still his world._

 

Asra held them once more, and this time Faust joined along, tightly coiling around both their necks. Asra and his most important person in the world giggled at the predicament they’re in now but continued hugging nonetheless.

 

All is well,

 

and The World is full of Hope.

 

**Author's Note:**

> GAG FIC:
> 
> Apprentice: Asra! Asra! Asra!
> 
> Asra: Yes, Darling?
> 
> Apprentice: Bitch, I'm hungry!! Feed me now, servant!!!
> 
> Asra's face ==> (O_O')  
> *Bitch, try that again Imma throw ya outta window!*
> 
> ~~~~~~
> 
> XD Just kidding! Hahaha so OC
> 
> I originally thought of attaching a gag fic where it said *insert name here* when referring to the apprentice, hahaha
> 
> But I couldn't exhibit it as a joke well and only the thought was funny. 
> 
> See, that was my dilemma. I wanted the same as what Nix Hydra envisioned for their novel (as you read, imagine your own MC in the story) so I used "they/them" pronouns and never mentioned a name. But if you're NB feel free to think the same of the MC in my fic. Everyone do you.
> 
> Everyone is free!! PARTY! PARTY! PARTY!
> 
> Okay, Dobby goes back to study. :(


End file.
